26 ON THE NATURE the direct assertion, that ‘although money may increase inits power of purchasing, it does not necessarily increase in value*” If Mr. Malthus thus abandons his own definition; what other will he put in its place ? I have already shown, that the power of pur- chasing, or the power of commanding other objects in exchange, can be expressed only by quantity. In other words, the value of one commodity can be expressed only by the quan- tity of some other object for which it will ex- change. When a hat is said to be twenty shillings in value, it is obvious that the value of the hat is expressed by the quantity of silver: when a yard of cloth is said to be worth two bushels of wheat, the value of the cloth is ex- pressed by the quantity of wheat. It is im- possible to designate, or express the value of a commodity, except by a quantity of some other commodity. The power of purchasing, or the value of an object in relation vo some other object, admits * Pace 62.